Swing door operators are well-known in the automatic door assembly art for controlling the pivoting movements of pivoting or swing door panels between open and closed positions thereof. In most automatic door assemblies, the door panel is moved under power by the door operator in a normal motor driven door opening direction in response to an input device thereof detecting the presence of a person or object adjacent to the door assembly. One problem with conventional swing door operators is that they are difficult and oftentimes costly to service. For example, in order to service the motor of the operator, a technician must remove the operator from the door assembly and disassemble the operator housing to access the motor. This is a time consuming operation in view of the fact that the amount time spent servicing the motor itself is often quite short in comparison to the amount of time spent removing the operator and disassembling its housing. For example, in the case of a burnt-out motor, the technician can remove the old motor and replace the same with a new one very quickly, but will end up spending substantially more time removing the operator, disassembling its housing, re-assembling its housing, and remounting the operator. Consequently, there exists a need in the art for a door operator that has improved serviceability to provide for easier and quicker servicing.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to meet the above-described need. To achieve this object, one aspect of the present invention provides a door operator comprising a rotatable operator output member constructed and arranged to be operatively connected with the door panel such that rotation of the output member moves the door panel between the open and closed positions thereof. A housing of the operator has an opening providing access to the interior of the housing. The operator further comprises a motor disposed within the interior of the housing in an operating position wherein the motor is coupled to the operator output member such that operation of the motor rotates the output member so as to move the door panel between the open and closed positions thereof. The motor and the opening of the housing are configured with respect to one another to enable the motor to be moved out of the operating position thereof outwardly through the opening for servicing of the motor without disassembling the housing. The motor and the opening of the housing are also configured with respect to one another to enable the motor to be moved inwardly through the opening to reposition the motor in the operating position thereof within the housing interior.
In the preferred embodiment of this aspect of the invention a releasable fastener is accessible through the opening of the housing from an exterior thereof. The fastener is constructed and arranged to be selectively manipulated through the opening in a motor releasing manner to release the motor to allow for removal of the motor from the operating position thereof and in a motor securing manner to releasably secure the motor in the operating position thereof within the interior of the housing.
A related aspect of the present invention provides a method for servicing a door operator comprising (a) a rotatable operator output member, the operator output member being constructed and arranged to be operatively connected with the door panel such that rotation of the output member moves the door panel between the open and closed positions thereof; (b) a housing having an opening providing access to the interior of the housing; and (c) an installed motor disposed within the interior of the housing in an operating position wherein the motor is coupled to the operator output member such that operation of the motor rotates the output member so as to move the door panel between the open and closed positions thereof, the installed motor and the opening of the housing being configured with respect to one another to enable the installed motor to be moved out of the operating position thereof outwardly through the opening for servicing of the motor without disassembling the housing. The method according to this related aspect of the invention comprises releasing the installed motor to allow for removal of the installed motor from the operating position thereof; moving the released motor out of the operating position thereof outwardly through the opening of the housing without disassembling the housing; providing a reinstallation motor, the reinstallation motor and the opening of the housing being configured with respect to one another to enable the reinstallation motor to be moved inwardly through the opening to position the reinstallation motor in the operating position thereof within the housing interior; moving the reinstallation motor inwardly through the opening to install the reinstallation motor in the operating position within the housing interior such that the reinstallation motor is coupled to the operator output member such that operation of the reinstallation motor rotates the output member so as to move the door panel between the open and closed positions thereof; and securing the installed reinstallation motor in the operating position within the interior of the housing.
Providing the reinstallation motor in accordance with this aspect of the invention may be accomplished either by servicing the released motor or by providing a replacement motor. Servicing the released motor may comprise inspecting the released motor, repairing the released motor, or both. During inspecting, it may be determined that the released motor is damaged but should be repaired (i.e. because it is beyond repair or because the cost of repair is not justified in view of the cost of providing a replacement motor) and then providing the reinstallation may be performed by the providing a replacement motor.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,386,885 discloses a door operator comprising a torsion spring that becomes wound during door opening to store energy and thereafter releases that stored energy by unwinding to rotate a striker disk to effect pivotal movement of the door panel in the closing direction thereof. The rear volute of the spring is fixed to a support disk that can be rotated to tension or relax the torsion spring via winding or unwinding the same to control an amount of spring force applied. However, the support disk during rotation thereof remains in the same axial position with respect to the spring. As a result, this arrangement is not suitable for adjusting spring force in an operator in which the return spring is used in compression spring instead of torsion to effect spring driven door panel movement because it does not stress the spring by compression or extension, which is the way in which a compression spring functions to effect door panel movement. Thus, there exists a need for a simple and effective arrangement for adjusting spring force in a door operator in which spring force is provided by a compression spring instead of a torsion spring.
It is therefore another object of the present invention to meet the above-described need. To achieve this object, another aspect of the invention provides a door operator comprising a rotatable operator output member rotatable about an operator output axis. The operator output member isg constructed and arranged to be operatively connected with the door panel such that rotation of the output member moves the door panel between the open and closed positions thereof. A motor is coupled to the operator output member such that operation of the motor rotates the output member so as to move the door panel between the open and closed positions thereof. A door moving compression spring structure is positioned in a spring force applying relationship with respect to the operator output member such that operating the motor to rotate the output member in the first rotational direction thereof to move the door panel in a first door moving direction stresses the spring structure. The spring structure is constructed and arranged to thereafter apply a spring force to the operator output member that tends to rotate the operator output member in a second rotational direction opposite the first rotational direction to move the door panel operatively connected thereto in a second door moving direction opposite the first door moving direction. The operator also comprises a selectively movable spring force adjusting member operatively associated with the compression spring structure, the spring force adjusting member being selectively movable in a generally longitudinal direction of the spring structure through a range of adjusting positions to control an extent to which the spring is stressed during movement of the door panel in the first door moving direction thereof, thereby enabling the amount of spring force that the spring structure applies to the operator output member during rotation in the second rotational direction to be selectively adjusted.
A related aspect of the invention provides a method for adjusting spring force in a door operator comprising (a) a rotatable operator output member rotatable about an operator output axis, the operator output member being constructed and arranged to be operatively connected with the door panel such that rotation of the output member moves the door panel between the open and closed positions thereof; (b) a motor coupled to the operator output member such that operation of the motor rotates the output member so as to move the door panel between the open and closed positions thereof; (c) a door moving compression spring structure positioned in a spring force applying relationship with respect to the operator output member operating the motor to rotate the output member in the first rotational direction thereof to move the door panel in a first door moving direction stresses the spring, the spring structure being constructed and arranged to thereafter apply a spring force to the operator output member that tends to rotate the operator output member in a second rotational direction opposite the first rotational direction to move the door panel operatively connected thereto in a second door moving direction opposite the first door moving direction; and (d) a selectively movable spring force adjusting member operatively associated with the compression spring structure, the spring force adjusting member being selectively movable in a generally longitudinal direction of the spring structure through a range of adjusting positions to control an extent to which the spring is stressed during movement of the door panel in the first door moving direction thereof. The method of this aspect of the present invention comprises moving the spring force adjusting member in the generally longitudinal direction of the compression spring structure to a selected position within the range of adjusting positions such that the spring structure is stressed to an extent determined by the selected position of the adjusting member to adjust the amount of spring force that the spring structure applies to the operator output member during rotation in the second rotational direction.
It is known in the door operator art to provide one or more stop members to limit the range of rotation for the operator output member, thereby limiting the range of pivotal movement for the door panel to which it is connected. U.S. Pat. No. 4,727,679 discloses a pair of such stop member at 90 and 92 in the drawings thereof. However, it is often desirable to increase or decrease the range of pivotal movement as conditions around the door assembly change. For example, a store owner may desire to place a merchandise display next to the door assembly and require that the pivotal range of the panel be decreased to prevent it from hitting the display. The ""679 patent does not provide for an easy way to change the range of pivotal movements to accommodate such a situation.
To achieve this object, another aspect of the present invention provides a swing door operator for controlling pivoting movements of a door that pivots about a generally vertical door axis from a closed position through a range of open positions. The operator comprises a rotatable operator output member constructed and arranged to be operatively connected with the door panel such that rotation of the output member pivots the door panel about the door panel axis thereof. A motor is coupled to the operator output member such that operation of the motor rotates the output member so as to move the door panel through the range of open positions thereof. A first stop member is operatively connected to the operator output member such that rotation of the output member rotates the first stop member. A second stop member is mounted adjacent the output member. The second stop member is constructed and arranged such that the first stop member engages the second stop member during rotation of the output member so as to prevent further rotation of the output member, thereby limiting a range of rotational movement of the output member and thus limiting the range of open positions through which the door panel pivots. The first and second stop members are constructed and arranged to be adjustably moved relative to one another through a range of adjusting positions and fixed in a selected one of the range of adjusting positions, thereby setting the range through which rotational movement of the output member will be permitted and thus setting the range of open positions through which the door panel pivots.
Another shortcoming with conventional swing door operators is the difficulty associated with adjusting the contact members that contact the contact switches to indicate certain door positions to the controller. Usually, these contact member are eccentric cams that rotate along with the output member. However, these contact members are difficult to access when installing the operator. As a result, proper positioning of the contact members with respect to the switches and the door panel""s range of movement is difficult to achieve during installation. U.S. Pat. No. 5,221,239. The entirety of which is hereby incorporated into the present application by reference, illustrates a prior art door operator wherein the switch cams are housed within an upper housing located above the main housing. Access to these switch cams requires removal of the upper housing to affect adjustment during door installation.
A further aspect of the present invention provides a swing door operator for use in conjunction with a controller for controlling pivoting movements of a door that pivots about a generally vertical door axis from a closed position through a range of open positions. The swing door operator of this aspect of the invention comprises an outermost housing and a rotatable operator output member extending outwardly from the housing. The output member is constructed and arranged to be operatively connected with the door panel such that rotation of the output member pivots the door panel about the door panel axis thereof. A motor is disposed interiorly of the housing. The motor is coupled to the operator output member such that operation of the motor rotates the output member so as to move the door panel through the range of open positions thereof. The motor is communicable with the controller to enable the controller to control operation of the motor. A contact switch is mounted exteriorly of the housing and is communicable with the controller such that contacting the switch transmits a contact signal to the controller. A contact member is mounted exteriorly of the housing adjacent the contact switch and provides a contact switch contacting surface. The contact member is operatively connected to the output member such that rotation of the output member to pivot the door panel through its range of open position affects movement of the contact member through a corresponding range of contact member positions. The contact member is constructed and arranged to contact the contacting surface thereof with the contact switch during movement through the range of contact member positions so as to cause the contact switch to transmit the contact signal to the controller, thereby indicating a corresponding position of the door panel in the range of open positions thereof to the controller for use in controlling operation of the motor. The contact member is adjustable relative to the output member from the exterior of the housing to enable the position within the range of contact member positions at which the contact surface of the contact member contacts the contact switch to be selected with respect to the range of open positions of the door panel.
Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, the accompanying drawings, and the appended claims.